US20080289623A1

US20080289623A1 - Therapeutic compression belt

Info

Publication number: US20080289623A1
Application number: US11/753,562
Authority: US
Inventors: Stephen D. Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-05-24
Filing date: 2007-05-24
Publication date: 2008-11-27
Also published as: US20090173340A1; WO2008147778A1; US8156932B2

Abstract

A therapeutic compression belt for alleviating menstrual cramps. In one embodiment the therapeutic compression belt includes a belt, a belt buckle, a left pad and a right pad, and a means to swivel the left pad and a means to swivel the right pad.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to therapeutic belts. More specifically, the invention is a compression belt designed to alleviate menstrual cramps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Menstrual cramps are abdominal and pelvic area (belly) pains that are often experienced by women around the time of their menstrual period. More specifically, menstrual cramps typically occur on the first or second day of the menstrual cycle. These are caused contractions of the uterus as it expels unneeded contents, and also by the passage of clotted blood through the cervix. Ibuprofen or other pain relievers can reduce the severity of cramps. However, some women can't always take chemical medications and medicinal drugs such as Ibuprofen can have undesirable side effects. Thus, there is a need for a device that offers a way of relieving or alleviating the symptoms of menstrual cramps that does not involve taking medicinal drugs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,783,506, issued Aug. 31, 2004 to Seering et al., describes a trochanter belt for the stabilization of the hips. The trochanter belt has an elastic front portion comprised of a soft inner surface that conforms to the body of the wearer. Right and left elastic side portions connect to the right and left sides of the inelastic front portion. The right and left elastic portions connect to the right and left side of the inelastic back portion to create a continuous band of support that does not require disassembly to remove. Right and left adjustable straps are attached to the continuous belt on the right and left sides, respectively.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060254598, published Nov. 16, 2006 to Saul, describes a belt to protect Cesarean incisions against kicking from infants, e.g. when breastfeeding or from accidental banging. By inserting warming and cooling cushions, therapeutic effects can also be achieved. The belt contains a pocket into which inserts with different functions can be placed depending upon the application. A plastic shell can be used to protect from kicking and other kinds of impact, and a polyester cushion if further absorption is required. In order to soothe uterus cramps and promote healing, a cherry stone cushion can be warmed and used and a gel cushion is recommended for cooling possibly, swollen, inflamed or itching scars.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050251075, published Nov. 10, 2005 to Smith, describes devices that reduce pain associated with menstruation and other conditions and that operate by pressing upon the sacral/parasacral regions of a woman's lower back. In preferred embodiments a tensioning apparatus applies pressure onto a generally flat part that distributes force into the sacral and parasacral regions but avoids the lumbar region. The devices may assume a variety of forms such as belts, straps and foundation garments that can exert high pressures that can exceed 100 torr.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,367, issued Jun. 2, 1998 to Lopez et al., describes a lumbar protector that can be used to alleviate menstrual cramp and pain. Underpants are incorporated into the protector garment, yielding a single article of clothing providing protection, and which is also hypoallergenic. The lumbar protector has either natural colors of the fiber, or colors from treatment with natural dyes.
Also, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,367 patent describes a protector device that can be used to alleviate menstrual cramp and pain. Underpants are incorporated into the protector garment, yielding a single article of clothing providing protection, and which is also hypoallergenic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective environmental view of a therapeutic compression belt according to the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a further perspective environmental view of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A shows a left perspective view of a therapeutic compression belt according to the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows a right perspective view of a therapeutic compression belt according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the left part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown).

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the right part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown).

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a right pad according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a partially cut-away top view of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the left part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown) and more specifically shows how the left pad can be rotated with respect to a belt buckle.

FIG. 8A shows an exploded view of the left part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown).

FIG. 8B shows a further exploded view of the left part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown).

FIGS. 9A and 9B respectively show side views of a left secondary swivel bracket and a right secondary swivel bracket.

FIG. 10A shows an exploded view of the right part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown).

FIG. 10B shows a further exploded view of the right part of the therapeutic compression belt of FIG. 1A (belt not shown).

FIG. 11 shows a view of a primary left swivel-bracket according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a view of a primary right swivel-bracket according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a therapeutic compression belt. The therapeutic compression belt of the present invention is denoted generally by the numeric label “100”.
The therapeutic compression belt 100 is used to provide controlled compression on the left and right of a female user's pelvic area. The therapeutic compression belt 100 alleviates discomfort caused by menstrual cramps that sometimes occur in women during menstrual periods.
Referring to the FIGURES in general, the therapeutic compression belt 100 for alleviating menstrual cramps comprises a belt 120, a belt buckle 140, a belt holding-bracket 160, a left pad 180, a right pad 200, a left swivel 220, and a right swivel 240.
Still referring to the Figures in general, the belt 120 defines first 260 and second 280 opposite ends, an interior side 300, and an exterior side 320. During actual use, the therapeutic compression belt 100 belt defines a left portion 340 and a right portion 360 (see FIG. 1A). The left portion 340 includes the belt buckle 140, first 260 and second 280 opposite ends of the belt 120, left swivel 220 and left pad 180 (see, e.g., FIGS. 1B, 2B and 6). The right portion 360 includes the right pad 200, right swivel 240, and belt holding-bracket 160 (see, e.g., (see, e.g., FIGS. 1B, 2B and 6). It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that that the therapeutic compression belt 100 can be worn in reverse or in any manner desired by the user, and the use of such terms as “left” and “right” are merely used for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way.
The belt buckle 140 has an exterior side 380, an interior side 400 (shown in FIG. 8B), a first end 420 and a second end 440. The belt buckle 140 is attached to the first opposite end 260 (shown in FIG. 6) of belt 120. The belt buckle 140 is reversibly attached to the other opposite end 280 of the belt 120 (see, e.g., FIG. 6). It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the term “reversibly attached” merely means a user U can release at least one end of the belt 120 from the buckle 140 to allow the user U to remove the belt 120, and hence remove device 100, from the user's body. Hence, the belt buckle 140 is attachable to both ends of the belt 120 such that at least one end of the belt 120 is reversibly attached and the other end can be permanently or reversibly attached according to the particular fashion or style of the buckle 140. The buckle 140 is adapted to controllably vary the tension of the belt 120 about a user's pelvic region to enable the user to wear device 100 in some measure of comfort.
While FIG. 6 shows the first end 420 of the belt buckle 140 attached to the first opposite end 260 of the belt 120, this arrangement can vary since any suitable style of belt 120 and/or buckle 140 can be used in the device 100. More specifically, the belt buckle 140 is not limited to a particular type of belt buckle and can be any suitable type of belt buckle such as, but not limited to, the belt buckle described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,170 issued Nov. 24, 1998 to Cho; U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,170 issued Nov. 24, 1998 to Cho is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The belt buckle 120 can include an optional push-button belt release 460 and a ratchet wheel mechanism 480.
The belt holding-bracket 160 defines a through-bore 500 (shown in FIG. 4), the through-bore 500 having opposite open ends 520 and 540 (shown in FIG. 6), the through-bore 500 having sufficient dimensions to accommodate the belt 120 such that a right belt portion 360 fits through the through-bore 500. The belt holding-bracket 160 having an exterior side 560 and an interior side 580.
During normal use the left 180 and right 200 pads are used to provide an inward compression force to the pelvic area of a female wearer (see FIGS. 1A and 1B). The left pad 180 has an interior side 600 and an exterior side 620. The right pad 200 has an interior side 640 and an exterior side 660. It should be noted that the exterior sides 620 and 660 are respectively those sides of the left 180 and right 200 pads that make direct contact with the left and right of a female user's pelvic area.
The left swivel 220 includes a primary left swivel-bracket 680 and a secondary left swivel-bracket 700—see, e.g., FIGS. 8A and 8B. During normal operation of device 100, the primary and secondary left swivel- brackets 680 and 700 allow a user to rotate the left pad 180 about a vertical plane (see FIG. 7). The primary left swivel-bracket 680 includes first and second opposite sides 740 and 760. The second opposite side 760 of the primary left swivel bracket 680 is attached to the interior side 600 of the left pad 180. The primary left swivel-bracket 680 includes an aperture 590 that leads to a recess 592 (shown in cross-section in FIG. 6).
The secondary left swivel-bracket 700 is at least partly sandwiched between the primary left swivel-bracket 680 and the belt buckle 140. The secondary left swivel bracket 700 includes first and second opposite sides 720 and 730. The second opposite side 730 of the secondary left swivel bracket 700 is affixed to the interior side 400 of the belt buckle 140.
The left secondary swivel bracket 700 includes a first section 780, a second section 800, and a connecting neck 820 (see FIG. 9A). The connecting neck 820 is located between first and second sections 780 and 800, respectively. The sections 780 and 800 define diameters D₁and D₄, respectively. Connecting neck 820 defines diameter D₂and length D₃. Diameter D₂is less than diameter D₅(i.e., less than the diameter of aperture 590—see FIG. 11). Diameters D₁and D₄can be equal or dissimilar in value. Each of D₁and D₄should be greater than aperture diameter D₅.
It should be understood that section 780 and/or section 800 can have any suitable shape and is not limited to the generally circular planar shape shown, for example, in FIGS. 8A, 8B and 9. For example, the first section 780 can have any suitable shape such as, but not limited to, an overall globular shape, an irregular polygonal shape or a regular polygonal shape such as a hexangular, octagonal, square, or rectangular three-dimensional shape.
The recess 592 (see FIG. 6) in the primary left swivel bracket 680 is shaped to accommodate the overall shape of the first section 780 of the secondary left swivel-bracket 700. The first section 780 can rotate inside recess 592. The overall shape of recess 592 can be a generally circular planar three-dimensional shape or can be any suitable three-dimensional shape so long as the overall shape of recess 592 accommodates the overall three-dimensional shape of first section 780 of secondary left swivel-bracket 700.
The right swivel 240 includes a primary right swivel-bracket 900 and a secondary right swivel-bracket 920—see, e.g., FIGS. 10A and 10B. During normal operation of device 100, the primary and secondary right swivel- brackets 900 and 920 allow a user to rotate the right pad 200 about a vertical plane. The primary right swivel-bracket 900 defines first and second opposite sides 940 and 960. The second opposite side 960 of the primary right swivel bracket 900 is attached to the interior side 640 of the right pad 200. The primary right swivel-bracket 900 includes an aperture 690; the aperture 690 leads to a recess 692 (shown in cross-section in FIG. 6).
The secondary right swivel-bracket 920 is at least partly sandwiched between the primary right swivel-bracket 900 and the belt holding-bracket 160. The secondary right swivel bracket 920 includes first and second opposite sides 980 and 1000. The second opposite side 1000 of the secondary right swivel bracket 920 is affixed to the interior side 580 of the belt holding-bracket 160.
The right secondary swivel bracket 920 includes a first section 1020, a second section 1040, and a connecting neck 1060 (see FIG. 9B). The connecting neck 1060 is located between first and second sections 1020 and 1040, respectively. The sections 1020 and 1040 define diameters D₁₀and D₁₁, respectively. Connecting neck 1060 defines diameter D₁₂and length D₁₃. Diameter D₁₂is less than diameter D₁₅(i.e., less than the diameter of aperture 690—see FIG. 12). Diameters D₁₀and D₁₁can be equal or dissimilar in value. Each of D₁₀and D₁₁should be greater than aperture diameter D₁₅.
It should be understood section 1020 and/or section 1040 can have any suitable shape and is not limited to a generally circular planar shape shown, for example, in FIG. 9B. For example, the first section 1020 can have any suitable shape such as, but not limited to, an overall globular shape, an irregular polygonal shape or a regular polygonal shape such as a hexangular, octagonal, square, or rectangular three-dimensional shape.
The recess 692 in the primary right swivel bracket 900 is shaped to accommodate the overall shape of the first section 1020 of the secondary right swivel-bracket 920. The first section 1020 can rotate inside recess 692. The overall shape of recess 692 can be a generally circular planar three-dimensional shape or any suitable three-dimensional shape so long as the overall shape accommodates the overall three-dimensional shape of first section 1020 of secondary right swivel-bracket 920.
The left and right swivel mechanisms 220 and 240 respectively allow the left and right pads 180 and 200 to be rotated in the vertical plane. More specifically, the primary left swivel bracket 680 and the left pad 180 rotate in unison in the vertical plane while the left secondary swivel bracket 700 does not rotate since it is fixed to interior side 400 of buckle 140. In one embodiment, the left and right swivel mechanisms 220 and 240 allow the left and right pads 180 and 200, respectively, to swivel, at least to a limited degree, in the horizontal plane.
It should be further understood that all U.S. patents mentioned above are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
It should be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A therapeutic compression belt for alleviating menstrual cramps comprising:

a belt, said belt having a first opposite end, a second opposite end, an interior side, an exterior side, wherein when said belt is buckled up said belt defines a left belt portion and a right belt portion wherein said left portion includes said first and second opposite ends of said belt;

a belt buckle, said belt buckle is attachable to both ends of said belt, said belt buckle having a means to adjust the tension of said belt;

a belt holding-bracket having a through bore, wherein said right portion of said belt fits through said through bore;

a left pad and a right pad, wherein said left and right pads are respectively attached to the left and right portions of said belt; and

a means to swivel said left pad and a means to swivel said right pad.

2. The therapeutic compression belt according to claim 1, wherein said belt buckle comprises a push-button belt release.

3. The therapeutic compression belt according to claim 1, wherein said means to swivel said left pad and said means to swivel said right pad respectively comprise a left swivel (220) and a right swivel (240).

4. The therapeutic compression belt according to claim 1, wherein said means to swivel said left pad and said means to swivel said right pad respectively comprise a left swivel (220) and a right swivel (240).

5. The therapeutic compression belt according to claim 1,

wherein said means to swivel said left pad comprises a primary left swivel-bracket and a secondary left swivel-bracket, and

wherein said means to swivel said right pad comprises a primary right swivel-bracket and a secondary right swivel-bracket.